Saudia Arabia stages once-banned ‘Halloween’ Celebrations

Saudi Arabia hosted an event to commemorate the once-banned festival of Halloween on Friday in the country’s capital, Riyadh, as the kingdom aims to modernize the country under its de-facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. 

The festival of Halloween was celebrated in Saudi Arabia with hordes of people dressed up in spooky attire.

The event dubbed the “Scary Weekend” took place on Thursday and Friday on Riyadh’s Boulevard as part of the ongoing Riyadh Season.

The Boulevard was transformed into a costume party, with dressed-up visitors granted free admission if they wore creepy costumes.

ويكند الرعب في #بوليفارد_رياض_سيتي كسر مقاييس الخوف💀، سواء من حضور أو أجواء أو أزياء تنكّرية🧛🏽‍♂️🔥
احجز تذكرتك الآنhttps://t.co/Ra40CkXmSx#ويكند_الرعب#موسم_الرياض pic.twitter.com/PoqLqiUeJ0

— بوليفارد رياض سيتي | BLVD RUH CITY (@BlvdRuhCity) October 28, 2022

According to the Arab news, the event’s purpose was to display horrifying costumes as well as inventive creations by locals and Saudis. The goal was to create an environment that was enjoyable, thrilling, and exciting as visitors learned about the various character outfits’ backstories.

Abdulrahman, one of the attendees, dressed up as the North American mythological creature Wendigo. According to legend, the folkloric creature is a malevolent spirit that possesses humans, instills greed and hunger in them, and cannibalizes them, feeding on their flesh. This was Abdulrahman’s first time in the country celebrating Halloween.

Saudis described Halloween ‘a harmless entertainment’ event

“It’s a great celebration, honestly, and there’s a spirit of joy… in terms of haram or halal, I don’t know about it. We celebrate it just for the fun of it and nothing else. We don’t believe in anything,” he told Arab News.

Attendees at the event described the occasion as a form of harmless entertainment, reported by Arab News.

“Actions are based on intentions,” said one eventgoer, Khaled Alharbi. I’m just here to have a good time.”

Alharbi arrived with his family, dressed as a bloodied doctor, nurse, and consultant. They created a backstory for their costumes and arrived just in time for the city’s biggest costume party on the Boulevard.

This was also the first Halloween for the family.